US military drones can recognise people's faces - US Air Force invests $730,000 to develop technology

The United States Air Force wants drones that can recognise people by their faces. The service is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to achieve the goal.

Here's What We Know

The facial recognition technology is called SAFT and is based on machine learning. The developer of the software is RealNetworks. It has received $729,056 from the US Air Force. The facial recognition technology will be used on small drones as part of special operations.

RealNetworks will adapt the SAFR technology for deployment on unmanned aircraft systems. This will require software integration with the UAV hardware and software stack, including onboard computing, communications and remote control systems.

By small drones, we mean drones like AeroVironment's RQ-11B Raven (pictured above). They are launched by soldiers in the field without additional equipment and often do not carry missiles or bombs, but are used for surveillance and reconnaissance.

The contract between RealNetworks and the US Air Force does not include integration of the SAFR facial recognition system into larger drones like the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator. The agreement mentions that small reconnaissance drones with SAFR will be used outside the U.S.

Source: Vice, Interesting Engineering